Refrigerator service valve



' Aug. 22, i967 J. W. MULLINS REFRIGERATOR SERVICE VALVE Filed March 2, 1964 E YEW FBGLT JOHN W. MULLINS INVENTOR.

AGENT United States Patent Ofiiice 3,336,936 Patented Aug. 22, 1967 3,336,936 REFRIGERATOR SERVICE VALVE John W. Mullins, P.0. Box 10524, Oklahoma City, Okla. 73110 Filed Mar. 2, 1964, Ser. No. 348,440 1 Claim. (Cl. 137-2345) The present invention relates to the refrigerating industry and more particularly to a refrigeration system service valve.

The present invention is an improvement over my copending United States application, Ser. No. 198,785, filed May 31, 1962, now Patent No. 3,149,817, for Hermetic Service Valve.

It is frequently necessary to check the refrigerant contained by a refrigeration system to determinethe trouble or reason why the unit is not functioning properly. Many sealed refrigerating systems are not provided with service valves on either the high pressure or low pressure refrigerant conductor line. Malfunctions of a refrigerating system are frequently found on the low pressure side of the refrigerator and include a broken discharge or suction valve, a stopped-up capillary tube or moisture in the system. It is highly desirable to provide a means for ascertaining the amount of refrigerant, or lack of it, contained by the system or to determine on which side of the compressor the trouble lies without disassembling the system.

It is, therefore, the principal object of the instant invention to provide a service valve which may be easily and permanently connected to a refrigerant conductor line on either the high or low pressure side of the compressor or on both sides.

Another object is to provide a service valve which may be connected by brazing or soldering to existing sealed or open type refrigerating systems.

A further object is to provide a valve of this class which permits servicing refrigerant lines of refrigerating systems of any type and size of system.

An additional object is to provide a service valve which may be repeatedly used for adding refrigerant to or removing refrigerant from the system.

Still another object is to provide a service valve which is relatively small in overall dimensions thereby requiring very little additional space and rendering the valve adaptable for use in confined areas such as air-conditioners installed on automobiles or the like.

In testing refrigerating units for malfunction, it is frequently necessary to remove the unit housing cover in order to reach service valves in the conductor lines; therefore, when the housing cover is removed and the unit is in operation, a false or inaccurate reading of the system condition is obtained, which is occasioned by the housing cover removal allowing currents of air to flow across the condenser coils other than those currents that are drawn or forced across the condensing coils when operating normally with the cover closed.

Still another object is to provide a service valve which, when installed, remains a part of a refrigerant system and which in no way affects the operation of the system yet permits servicing of the system.

Another object is to provide a service valve having a refrigerant line Connecting end portion adapted to receive or be inserted into and rigidly connected permanently to a range of different sized refrigerant lines.

The present invention accomplishes these and other objects by providing a valve equipped tubular housing having one end portion externally pipe threaded and adapted to be connected outwardly of its threads with relatively small diameter tubular lines.

Other objects Will be apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying single sheet of drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the device, partly in section;

FIGURE 2 is a device, per se;

FIGURES 3, 4, 5, G and 7, are fragmentary vertical cross-sectional views illustrating the manner of connecting the device to different sizes of refrigerant conducting lines; and,

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary vertical cross-sectional view illustrating the manner of connecting the device to an internally threaded connector.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in those figures of the drawings in which they occur.

In the drawings:

The reference numeral 10 indicates the device, as a whole, comprising a tubular housing or casing 11 having a central hexagonal shaped wrench head engaging portion 12 and external threads 14 and 16 intermediate its. respective end portions on opposite sides of the head portion 12. The threads 16 are preferably pipe taper threads while the threads 14 are straight. The housing end portion adjacent the threads 14 forms an inlet end portion which is diametrically reduced, as at 1-8, and provided with an annular beveled edge 20. This end of the housing is internally threaded and provided with a seat 21 for receiving a conventional valve core 22 of the type presently used in tire valves which features an axial gas passageway normally closed by a coaxial spring urged depressable stern. The other end portion 23 of the housing, outwardly of the threads 16, forms an outlet end portion and is provided with a tapered surface 24 converging toward its free end for the purposes of soldering or brazing this end portion to a plurality of sizes of refrigerant lines in the manner presently explained.

A concentric small diameter relatively short tip or neck portion 26 forms an annular shoulder 28 perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the housing 11.

FIGURE 3 illustrates the manner of connecting the tip 26 to a inch diameter refrigerant line 29 by inserting the line into the bore of the tip 26.

FIGURE 4 illustrates the manner of connecting the housing to the end of a inch diameter line 30 wherein the tip 26 is cut-off adjacent the shoulder 28 and the line 30 coaxially abutted and brazed to the shoulder 28.

FIGURE 5 illustrates the manner of connecting the housing to a inch diameter line 32 wherein an end portion of the line 32 surrounds the tip 26, abuts the shoulder 28 and is brazed to the tapered surface 24.

FIGURE 6 illustrates the connection, as by brazing, of the housing end portion 23 to a A inch line 34 having a swedged end portion 36 which coaxially receives, in telescoping relation, a portion of the tapered surface 24.

FIGURE 7 similarly illustrates the connection of the device to an end of a inch or larger diameter line 38 wherein an end portion of the line 38 is coaxially positioned on and brazed to the tapered surface 24.

FIGURE 8 illustrates the manner in which the device is adaptable for connection with a conventional internally threaded bushing 40, or the like, by engagement of the threads 16 with the threads of the bushing.

Operation In operation the device 10 is connected to a selected refrigerant line in the manner described and. shown by the drawing examples. When not in use the end portion 18 is closed by a dust cap 50 engaging the threads 14 and having a resilient bushing 52 within its closed end which seats against the beveled edge 20 in sealing relation.

When it is desired to check the pressure of the connected refrigerant line, the dust cap 50 is removed and a conventional pressure-vacuum gage, not shown, is connected to the threads 14. The gage contacts and unseats vertical cross-sectional view of the the valve core 22 to record the pressure or vacuum pull of the line.

When it is desired to add refrigerant to the system, a conventional valve depressor, connected with a source of supply, neither of which are shown, is threadedly engaged wit-h the housing threads 14 sealing with the beveled surface 20 and unseating the valve core 22 to permit refrigerant fluid to flow through the connector from the source of supply.

Obviously the invention is susceptible to some change or alteration without defeating its practicability, and I therefore do not wish to be confined to the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings and described herein, further than I am limited by the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A refrigerant conductor service valve, comprising: a tubular housing having a hexagonal wrench engaging head portion formed intermediate its ends defining opposing oulet and inlet end portions; external pipe taper threads formed on the outlet end portion of said housing adjacent said head; external straight threads formed on the inlet end portion of said housing adjacent said head portion adapted for engagement with a threaded refrigerant conductor; a valve seat formed on the inner wall of the inlet end portion of said housing; an outwardly converging tapered surface on the outlet end portion of said housing for coaxial insertion into a refrigerant conductor, said tapered surface merging at its diverging end with the smaller end of said pipe taper threads; an annular shoulder perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said housing interrupting the converging end of said outwardly converging tapered surface and forming a relatively small diameter tip portion coaxial with respect to said housing for coaxial connection with a refrigerant conductor; and a valve core threadedly engaged Within the inlet end portion of said housing and seated on said valve seat, said valve core having an axial gas passageway therethrough and having a coaxial depressible stem normally closing the gas passageway.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 126,869 5/1872 Brien 137-317 X 1,375,585 4/1921 Goodwin 137-232X 1,830,894 11/1931 Ullstrand et a1. 137-614 X 2,075,024 3/1937 Delano 285-333 X 2,579,359 12/1951 Boyer et a1. 137-223 X 2,934,915 5/1960 Morse 137-614 X 3,170,495 2/1965 Wagner 137-317 X WILLIAM F. ODEA, Primary Examiner.

D. H. LAMBERT, Assista'nt Examiner. 

